NYC property developer offends Harlem by naming new building The Kalahari
Posted on 09. May, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry in Uncategorized
We’ve sat in so-called ‘strategic marketing brainstorms’ where highly-paid, presumably intelligent marketing experts have proudly proclaimed; "What’s in a name? We can call this product anything and market the hell out of it to give it meaning".
Well it seems that an African theme was the dartboard selection for a New York property developer when it can to naming their new luxury apartments in Harlem.
Thinking all things Africa, they named the ‘green’, $600 000 plus, Ndebele design-inspired building – The Kalahari, because…they wanted the new building to fit in with the locals instead of sticking out like a sore thumb.
Unfortunately for them, most of the residents of Harlem are African-Americans and West African immigrants and don’t resemble bushmen in the slightest.
If the idea of the Ndebele tribe living in the Kalahari desert wasn’t far fetched enough, the apartments also come with recycled bamboo floors [which we have forest of here in the Kalahari] and a solar heating system.
So in conclusion – names matter. The wrong ones get people edgy and hyperactive.
Back to Africa – Village Voice
Website: Kalahari Harlem
The Kalahari shows Harlem’s roots – Curbed
